Life With Batman Begins
by Steph3
Summary: takes off after "Halloween Night Celebration." Fluffy story about Steph and Ranger's relationship. Rating may go up. Started out as a response to a challenge on RW, so the first few chapters have quotes from TS.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: The Plum characters all belong to JE. I'm just borrowing them :). **

**A/N: This takes off after my story "Halloween Night Celebration." . It's not 100% necessary to read it, just a suggestion.** **Also, huge thanks to Little Lisa and Sasha for being awesome betas!**

**Life With Batman Begins**

Ranger and I had started dating about four months ago. I know that I would never forget our anniversary—Halloween. That was the night that I had waited for my ex, Joe Morelli, to take me out on a real date, then got stood up, went out with Ranger, then ran into Joe at a bar. He had just forgotten me! But that really worked out well for me. I got the Cuban Sex God out of the deal. I certainly wasn't complaining.

Apparently**,** Joe was, though. He hadn't had a real date in forever, and he wasn't getting laid. I didn't have that problem. Well… actually, right now I _was_ having that problem. But that's just because Ranger was off saving the world again for the past two weeks.

What's shocked me the most in my new relationship with Ranger**,** is that he has actually talked to me. I mean really _talked_ to me! It truly surprised me. Halloween, when he asked me if he could take me out on a real date, he wasn't talking in monosyllables. I picked my jaw off the table and accepted it, but thought it would pass. It didn't, however. He still talks to me.

He told me the reason he hadn't tried a relationship with me was this contract he had with the government. He can't talk too much about it—I'm pretty sure it's one of those, _if he told me, he'd have to kill me, _things. The contract was supposed to end yesterday. The government called him up at the last minute and he was working on this last assignment.

I sighed, slightly brought down by my melancholy thoughts about Ranger. There were plenty of good thoughts (really good thoughts…. Really, really good thoughts…) and just thinking briefly about them caused a self-satisfied smile to appear around my lips. But I was still sad. Ranger had always been my rock, and I had become even more used to his presence in the past few months. I missed him.

I decided that sitting in my apartment brooding really wasn't going to improve my mood, let alone my funds. I was back working at RangeMan part-time. Yes, I also had to work out, carry a gun, practice shooting and all of that. It is, however, far more enjoyable now that Ranger is offering his body for every improvement I make. On the other hand, today was a day at Vinnie's. I had caught up on all my files my last bounty hunter day, so I was open for any new cases that Connie might have for me. I made sure I wasn't wearing a new pair of jeans, because even with the training, sometimes disasters were unavoidable, and some of the skips just really enjoyed throwing food. Then, I left.

I was about to pull up to the bonds' office**,** when my cell phone rang. I looked down, vaguely noting it was the RangeMan number.

"Yo."

"Babe, stealing my lines?" Ranger's smooth voice came over the line. I smiled involuntary.

"Ranger! When did you get back?" I asked curiously.

"About fifteen minutes ago. What do you have going on today?"

"I was on my way to the bonds' office to get any skips. What about you?" I inquired, hoping he'd want to see me.

"I'm going to be busy for a couple of hours. Any chance you would want to meet me for lunch and take the rest of the afternoon off?"

"Sure. When and where?"

"I was thinking at one. How about I pick you up at your apartment?"

"Sounds good**,** Batman."

He made an affirming noise and then hung up. No matter how much he had changed in other aspects, it was still like pulling teeth to get the man to say goodbye. Sighing, I got out of my car and went into the bonds' office. Connie and Lula were gossiping**,** but stopped when I walked in.

"Hunh," Lula said, looking me over. I was looking her over at the same time. She was wearing an electric blue spandex mini dress, her hair highlighted with matching streaks.

"Hunh what?" I asked, sitting down next to her.

"You're all smiley, but that ain't no _I got satisfied_ grin. 'Sides, Batman isn't even in town. Connie, what do you think?"

Connie studied me for a minute, and then shrugged. "She'll tell us if she wants her files for today," Connie said, showing me three files that she was holding. I rolled my eyes.

"Ranger just called. He's back in Trenton."

"Girl, what are you doing here? You should be with that fine piece of man," Lula exclaimed. Connie nodded her agreement.

"He's busy right now. We're meeting at lunch**, a**nd that's why you should give me my files. He called me when I got here. I have to go back home and freshen up a bit," I said. Connie immediately handed me my files**,** and I headed out of the bonds' office and back to my apartment to get ready.

Two hours later**,** I was sitting on my couch. I had showered, shaved, and done everything else that was necessary to be ready for Ranger. I was wearing a black skirt and a blue sweater that matched my eyes. I wasn't wearing too much make up because Ranger didn't think I needed it. I was reading through my files when I heard the lock being picked. I looked up and saw Ranger standing in the doorway; he was gorgeous. Two weeks without him was entirely too long. He was dressed in typical fashion—black cargoes, a painted on black t-shirt. I unconsciously licked my lips.

"Babe," Ranger said. I smiled at him and crossed the room quickly, wrapping my arms around him. He dropped his lips to mine, kissing me for all he was worth. And the man can kiss. I moaned softly as the kiss got deeper. He suddenly pulled back from me.

"Babe. What I want to do to you is no secret. And I want to do it bad.* But I have some plans for us this afternoon, so we really need to leave now before I forget about them." I nodded, grabbing my purse and heading out of the apartment, Ranger right behind me.

"Where are we going?" I asked curiously. Ranger just looked at me with a smile.

"We're starting with lunch," he said. I rolled my eyes at him. "Seafood, Babe." Sounds good, but that was all he would tell me?

We got into Ranger's car and drove across Trenton to a new seafood place that just opened. I looked at Ranger, who smiled mysteriously at me. We went in and were taken to a table in the back, Ranger with his back to the wall, and me in the seat across from him. Typical.

"Did everything go okay?" I asked him, looking him over more carefully. I could see that he had lost some weight, and noticed a faint bruise around one of his eyes.

"Everything went fine, Babe. I'm now officially done with my contract. I was being debriefed yesterday, and they tried to convince me to stay on," Ranger answered calmly. I smiled broadly.

"Fantastic. That's great. No injuries?" I questioned.

"Nothing too serious. A black eye, some bruised ribs. I'm almost completely healed," he said. "I missed you."

I tried to raise one of my eyebrows, but it was really both of them. Ranger rarely made declarations like that, even though he was more open now.

"I missed you too," I told him tenderly. He flashed his bright smile at me, which of course caused a nearby waitress to knock over a glass. I rolled my eyes.

"So, I wanted to ask you something," Ranger mentioned.

What did he want to ask me? I noticed that he looked vaguely nervous, almost like the night when he first asked me out. The waitress chose that time to ask what we wanted for lunch. We both quickly ordered, then she scurried off. I instantly moved my eyes back to lock on Ranger's.

"What's up?" I inquired, when it appeared that he was having trouble asking me what he wanted.

"Look, I know that I am not too good at this relationship thing. I never really had one before. And you haven't exactly had a run of good luck either." I nodded, thinking back to my jerk of an ex-husband and Joe. "But I was hoping that you would agree to move in with me," he ended in a rush. Ranger was that nervous about asking me? And he really wanted me to move in with him?

"Really?" I asked softly.

"Really," he agreed, reaching across the table to take my hand.

I nodded silently. "Of course. So, the penthouse at RangeMan?" I asked.

"For now," Ranger agreed readily. "That's what I wanted to do this afternoon. I've joked about the Batcave, but I don't actually have a real house. I was hoping that we could buy a house together," he said.

My eyes opened wider. "That's a big commitment, Ranger. Are you sure?"

"Do you have doubts? I know what I want," he said**,** looking at me levelly.

I smiled at him, indicating my understanding. "Okay. We'll get a house."

Ranger's face relaxed considerably. "I have a meeting with a realtor this afternoon. We'll get exactly what we want," he said determinedly.

I nodded in agreement. I knew that we'd get exactly what we wanted. With Ranger, anything and everything was possible.

*quote from TS.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

After lunch, Ranger and I went back to my apartment. We determined that I would move into the seventh floor apartment on Haywood with him that afternoon, so we decided to pack up all my stuff. Also, we had a meeting with the realtor later that afternoon to start discussing what we would be looking for in a house, and he thought we might want to talk about it privately first.

We entered my apartment, immediately going into my bedroom to start packing. While we were placing my clothes into suitcases, we started discussing what things we desired in our new house.

"I need to be able to upgrade the security," Ranger mentioned.

"What does that entail?"

"Well, we need plenty of room outside for a main gate that needs a pass code, and then maybe another gate. I'm thinking solid brick would be good," he said offhandedly. "Plus if there is a large backyard, we could have friends over." I nodded, imagining Bobby, Lester, and Tank trying to barbeque in the backyard.

"I'd like a pool," I added. He smiled thoughtfully.

"How many rooms do you think we'd want?" he asked cautiously. His caution seemed more than a little odd to me.

"Well… obviously a really nice master suite would be ideal. Other than that, I don't guess I'd have any other major qualifications."

"I'd want a home office. Would you be okay with sharing with me, and maybe working from home more? Or do you want your own?" I shrugged, replying that I'd be happy to share with him.

Ranger nodded, and then mentioned bedrooms. "I was thinking that I would like to have a room for Julie, if that's okay with you?" he requested. I smiled.

"That would be great," I replied. I knew that since the Scrog disaster, they had been keeping in touch, and she had expressed interest in wanting to visit Trenton a few times. Rachel didn't want Julie staying in the building on Haywood, though. So, so far she hadn't been able to come up. "We'd have to let her decorate it herself." He inclined his head in agreement.

"Babe, I want this to be the first and last home we buy together, so I want to ask you a question and I hope that you won't freak out." I glanced over at Ranger, thinking he sounded a little crazy. "It's just… do you think you might want to have kids some day?" he inquired in a rush. I dropped what I was holding and sat down heavily on the bed.

"I think there is a chance I might want to have a baby someday," I spoke in a soft voice. "But you said that you don't want kids."

"No, I said I didn't _do_ them. When I said that, remember, I was doing work for the government. I'm done with that Babe. I'm not suggesting that we have kids right away, but I'm open to the possibility of it occurring down the road. And if we want to do that, we should make sure that we have enough rooms for that possibility," he responded. I slowly bobbed my head. Ranger sat down next to me.

"What are we going to do about furniture? My stuff is _really_ mismatched, and I can't imagine that you would take everything out of the penthouse." It had only just occurred to me that we would need to furnish the whole house.

"I have plenty of money and Ella has an eye for interior design. If you wanted, I'm sure that we could just let her loose, so there's nothing to worry about. Regarding your furniture, if you want to keep it, we can. Or we could give it away, or even tell Dillon to rent your apartment fully furnished," he concluded. I stared at the wall intently, considering my options.

"I wonder if we could do that," I thought aloud. "I'm going to ask Dillon now, while I tell him that I'm moving out. I'm sure the owners will be ecstatic. They've been through hell with me living here." He smirked.

"I'm sure that you've made life much more interesting for them." I gave him a mock death glare. Ranger told me to go ahead and talk to Dillon while he kept packing upstairs. I gave him a quick kiss then took the elevator down to Dillon's.

Dillon wasn't too sad about me moving out of the building. It seemed that he had had to fight on my behalf, a couple of times, with the owners of the building. He agreed to offer my apartment as furnished, and told me that I had until the end of the month to get my stuff out. I had lived there so long that the lease was month-to-month, so I didn't have to pay to break the lease.

I headed back upstairs, where Ranger had finished up my clothes and was looking through the cabinets in the kitchen.

"Babe, you have practically nothing," he pointed out, pulling out the very few pots and pans I had.

"I never needed anything really. It'll make moving way easier. But this does bring up the question; who's going to cook at our new place?" I asked.

"I can cook. Or I can hire a cook. Either way, we'll have food," he assured me. I nodded in acceptance. I relayed what Dillon had told me about the furniture and how long I had to finish packing up. Ranger picked up the suitcases that were filled and told me that we'd have to come back when we had more boxes for the rest of my stuff.

We went to RangeMan to drop off my clothes and make-up, and then headed over to the real estate agent. After explaining to Sandra Ronson what we wanted and her telling us that she'd get in touch with us within a few days, we decided to go back to RangeMan and just watch a movie and spend some quiet time together.

We went to the bedroom and lay down with Ranger. He started a movie and wrapped his arm around my middle. About halfway through he started tickling me, obviously growing tired of the movie. I fought back against him, and finally pinned him to the mattress.

"Aw, you let me win. How cute," I laughed.

"Cute? That just dropped my testosterone level*," he muttered. I laughed again and leaned down to kiss him. Just as things were starting to get interesting, my cell phone rang.

"I'm ignoring that," I mumbled against his lips. Ranger sighed heavily.

"They'll keep calling back. Answer it," he told me. I rolled off of him, grabbing my phone and reading the display. Mom. Great.

"Hello?"

"Stephanie? Why did I get a call from Hazel DeLuca about you and Ranger being in a real estate office?" I groaned. It had already gotten out to the Burg network? Mom was still prattling on about what the neighbors thought, but then she demanded our presence for dinner. I made an agreeing noise and finally got off the phone. I looked over at Ranger.

"We're expected for dinner at my parents'," I told him, glancing at the clock, "in about an hour." Ranger groaned, but nodded reluctantly.

This was going to be fun.

* quote taken from TS.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Ranger and I had to hurry to get ready and make it to my parents' house by six. When we pulled up in front of the house, Grandma was standing on the front porch. I got out and walked in front of Ranger. Grandma Mazur had an unfortunate habit of pinching the butts and copping a feel of men that came to my family's home.

"Your mother is excited. She thinks you're looking for houses in the Burg, but she thinks you only had Ranger there because he owns a bunch of properties." I groaned aloud. I had been dating Ranger for the past four months, but Mom still insisted that we really weren't dating. She had, however, finally stopped trying to thrust Joe at me. She was still inviting men over for dinner, which was incredibly awkward when Ranger happened to join me for dinner as well.

Ranger guided me into the house with his hand on my neck, leading me into the living room to greet my father. Dad and Ranger got along well—I think it had something to do with both of them being fairly quiet. We had only a few minutes to chat before I was summoned to the kitchen by Mom so I could help her carry the food out, and the gentlemen were instructed to the table.

Ranger and I sat down across from Grandma and the first few minutes were filled with the sounds of food being placed on plates, asking for food to be passed, and beginning the meal. I glanced over at Ranger, nervously expecting my mother to start to barrage me with questions. He rested his hand on my thigh under the table, calming me slightly with his touch.

"Stephanie, why were you at the real estate office today? Are you finally looking for a home?" Mom began. Dad looked up from his dinner briefly, focusing on the two of us for a moment, before shrugging and turning back to his dinner.

"Yes—"

"Oh, well, of course you're looking in the 'Burg. You know two streets over Donald Orszag is moving to Florida with his family. You could live there," she offered helpfully.

"Mom, I don't want to live in the Burg. Anyway, I'm moving in with Ranger, and he has security requirements that aren't met in the Burg," I replied. Mom dropped her fork suddenly, her eyes widening.

"You're going to be living in _sin_? Again?! Why me?" Mom wailed, taking a liberal drink of her wine. I rolled my eyes. "You know, Stella Markowitz's daughter never lived in sin—"

"That's because she's a lesbian. You know that roommate Courtney of hers? Yeah, that's her lover," I interjected. Grandma Mazur laughed at that and I noticed that Ranger was smiling slightly.

"Well, Kayla Stinson's daughter then," Mom said.

"She had three kids by three different men before she got married," I pointed out. "I'm not saying that there aren't any good Catholics around here," I told her, thinking to myself that pretty much _was_ what I was trying to tell her.

"But why can't you get married?" she griped. I bit my lip to hold back my sigh.

"Mrs. Plum, just because we aren't married now doesn't mean we won't ever get married," Ranger explained. I cut my eyes over to him quickly. What the hell was he doing? We hadn't discussed marriage! We discussed babies and houses, but not marriage! Not that the idea of marrying him was bad, mind you. It's just, why the hell was he bringing it up with my mother? She takes this subject and runs with it! Didn't he remember the time I got forced into almost buying a wedding gown when Morelli and I weren't even properly engaged? Ah, look, see, I was right. Her eyes immediately brightened up and I don't think it was from the excessive alcohol consumption.

"Really?" she asked. "Well, are you thinking about it? You know how hard it is to reserve the Hall. Reservations have to be made a year in advance. And let's face it, you're not getting any younger, Stephanie." I groaned and drank my glass of wine quickly.

"Mom, he hasn't asked me to marry him. We're not getting married any time soon. And I got married to Dickie there. Why would you think I'd want to use it again?" Ranger's hand, which was still resting on my thigh, began to move in circles, ostensibly trying to calm me. I glared at him.

"Babe," he whispered to me, leaning down so only I could hear him, "you can't be mad at me. I'm cute. I might even be adorable.*" I looked up at him and couldn't stop the smile that broke across my face. He really was cute. Though, it would be better if he managed to get me out of this mess that he had gotten me into.

"Mrs. Plum, rest assured, if and when I propose to Stephanie, we'll find a lovely place to have a wedding and a reception, but it will be our wedding and reception. It certainly won't be to appease anyone else," he told her sternly. That was better. I smiled up at him. Mom was doing her best fish impersonation, as if surprised that he talked to her that way.

"Really, Helen, let them do what they want. Like he said, it's their wedding. You've already had a good one for Valerie and Stephanie before. Val's second wasn't that great, so Stephanie's next one will surpass that," Dad said. I was very happy that my stuck up for us, allowing dinner to finally recommence.

As Mom brought out dessert, the front doorbell rang. Who would be coming over now? And why?

"Ooh, I'll get it! It's my latest stud muffin!" Grandma squealed. I winced—I had been subjected to a few of her "stud muffins" before.

"Let's go," I muttered to Ranger. "Seriously. I don't want the cake." He looked up at me, and then looked into the living room, where Grandma was enthusiastically kissing the, as of yet, unnamed man.

"Okay, Babe," he agreed quickly. We swiftly said our goodbyes, and then hurried out to the car. During the drive home, I turned to face him. Ranger was in his driving zone, but I knew he would answer my questions.

"So, marriage?" I asked him.

"It's not that big of a step from living together and talking about children," he answered. I slowly nodded my acceptance.

"It would have been nice to have known that _prior_ to dinner with my parents, when you mentioned it." He looked over and smiled at me.

"I didn't really plan for it to come up. I thought it might help get your mom off your back," he told me. "Like I said, you aren't mad at me. I can definitely make it up to you later."

"I like the sound of that. You sure can and I have a feeling that you will," I murmured seductively, leaning over to place a hot, open mouth kiss on his neck. "And you'll love every second of it." He looked over at me with dark eyes and instantly accelerated towards the RangeMan building. When we arrived, we scurried into the elevator, both of us careful not to touch the other, lest we give the Control Room a show. When we made it to the apartment, he leveled a determined look at me.

"I'll be happy to make it up to you now."

He definitely made it up to me that night.

*From TS


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

I woke abruptly the next morning, the ringing of a phone being the catalyst to propel me from the land of slumber. I stretched as I heard Ranger beside me answer the phone. His voice was gravelly and I could tell that the phone had woken him as well. I glanced over at the clock—it was already 9:00? I was supposed to start the morning at 8:00! Why was I still sleeping? Why was Ranger still sleeping? I started to get out of bed, but Ranger snagged me around the middle, hauling me back against his chest as he made plans to meet someone at 1:00. He hung up and looked down at me.

"Where were you going, Babe?" he asked.

"I'm late. I need to head down to the control room," I explained frantically. Ranger just grinned at me.

"I know the boss. He said you had the day off," Ranger told me. I grinned and leaned over to kiss him. His met mine for a long moment, before he slowly pulled away. I looked at him in confusion. "We have to meet with the realtor in a few hours. I thought we could go pick up your skips before hand. It's just Mooner and Eula. It'll only take a bit." I sighed quietly, then nodded and went to get showered and dressed. When I got out and finished getting ready, Ranger told me breakfast was set up in the other room.

As I was eating, Ranger's phone rang again. He looked at the display and answered in Spanish. From the warmth of his voice, I could tell it was one of his family members, whom I had met a few weeks previous.

_"Bueno.... No? De verdad? Quién? Sé… No, mama, no es un secreto. No, no, por favor, no lo di a abuela. Sí, podemos ir a cenar… No podemos hoy. Por qué no mañana? Sí, ya sé. Mama, Stephanie ama a ustedes… Lo siento. Sí, te veremos mañana. Adiós.*"_

"What's up?" I asked after he hung up.

"One of Celia's friends called her. This girlfriend of hers lives in Trenton now, and saw us at the real estate office yesterday. She called Celia, while Celia, her friend Ana, and Mom and Dad were eating dinner and told them all about it. Now Mom thinks that we're trying to hide from her and keep our relationship a secret. She wants us to come over for dinner so that we can tell the whole family and we can celebrate." I giggled at his expression.

"I love how we never have any privacy. None. Whatsoever. But this time it wasn't my network of spies. Maybe you should have chosen a real estate agent a little further off the beaten path," I suggested helpfully. Ranger rolled his eyes at me and I leaned over to give him a tender kiss.

Shortly thereafter, Ranger and I were setting out in one of the Explorers, off to get Eula. She was an easy skip, but really didn't smell very good. There was no way that either Ranger or I would let her into the Porsche. We were cruising down the streets of Trenton and Ranger mentioned that he had a few guys going over to my apartment to finish packing up. Since we got all of my intimate stuff yesterday, I was okay with the guys going through the rest of my belongings. We stopped and picked up Eula easily and on the way to the station, I called Connie to meet us and bond her out again.

On our way over to Mooner's, Ranger got another phone call. His voice was terse and angry throughout the conversation.

"What happened?" I questioned cautiously. He glanced over at me, reaching over to take my hand.

"Lester and Cal just got to your apartment… Babe, everything that was left is ruined. We're heading over there now," he told me making a sharp u-turn. I sighed heavily and fought the urge to moan "why me" like my mother. I looked over at Ranger.

"Now that I'm living with you, this won't happen again, will it?" I inquired rhetorically. A slight smile curved his lips.

"Never again."

"Why didn't we do this sooner? It would have saved a hell of a lot of money in redecorating and replacing all my stuff," I pointed out with a cheeky smile. He looked over at me with a raised eyebrow, then glanced back at the road and kept driving. A few minutes later we pulled up to my apartment and hopped out, climbing up the stairs to where Lester and Cal were waiting for us.

"Boss, Bombshell," they greeted us. We walked past them into the apartment. Really, I wasn't that surprised. How many versions of completely trashed are there? The couch was ripped into shreds with a knife, the stuffing covering the room. The TV had been smashed; the table… well, it looked like they couldn't quite smash it into the wall and had no clue what to do; they had taken what cosmetics remained and rubbed them all over the table. When I went into the bedroom, the mattress had been treated to the same fate as the couch, while the few clothes that remained were ripped to shreds.

"Who have you been working with, Babe?" Ranger asked.

"You mean going after?" I questioned. "No one big. Mostly repeats and the occasional robber. Besides, I've had a RangeMan with me, and most people would be stupid to come after me after they saw them." I told him.

"I guess… I don't like it, Babe," Ranger said. I looked over everything again, then went into the bathroom. I noticed that the bathroom mirror was covered in red lipstick, mostly the words "slut" and "bitch" written time and again. I sighed and walked back out. Lester, Cal, and Ranger were standing around, discussing things.

"It's a girl." They all stopped talking and looked up at me.

"How do you know?" Lester inquired. I sighed, and then motioned them to follow me. I indicated the mirror with my hand.

"You don't think a guy would do this?" Cal asked.

"Do you? One, I've never heard a guy say the word slut. It's one of those words that women use to describe women. Second, if you had a grudge against someone and had a chance to destroy his stuff, would you leave petty messages like this?" I checked with him. He looked thoughtful for a moment, and then shook his head no. "That's what I thought. What about you?" Lester and Ranger both shook their heads. "Therefore, girl. Well, maybe a gay man. Plus, that isn't one of the shades that I keep."

"That was more logical than the thing about men writing messages on the mirror, and the word slut," Lester said.

"But the other is a fun explanation," I told him. He nodded, accepting my theory.

"So, Babe, who could it be?" Ranger questioned. I shrugged.

"No clue. I guess it could be an old grudge, or it could be because they heard I was moving in with you, and they have an obsession with you. I think it's impossible to rule anything out right now. We all know that the Burg knows my every waking and sleeping movement, hence they know that I'm living with you, as does part of Newark."

"Newark knows?" Lester interrupted with a disbelieving look.

"Señora Manoso called this morning and wants us to have dinner. One of Celia's friends told the whole family," I explained. Lester and Cal chuckled and Ranger rolled his eyes.

"You two are on clean-up. We need to go look at houses," Ranger instructed his men.

"Damn," Cal swore softly. I giggled at his reaction, before checking my watch. We still had about an hour, but Ranger, ESP obviously still working, knew I would want to get some lunch.

"Think we have time to tell Dillon that I won't be furnishing the apartment?" Ranger nodded briefly and he and I set out to tell Dillon the bad news before stopping for lunch and going to meet Sandra.

Spanish Translation (I think… it's been a few years since I took my class):

"Hello…. No? Really? Who? I know… No, Mom, it isn't a secret. No, no, please, don't tell grandma! Yes, we can come to dinner… We can't today. Why not tomorrow? Yes, I know, Mom… Stephanie loves you… I'm sorry. Yes, we will see you tomorrow. Goodbye."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

When we reached Sandra's offices, she was already waiting outside for us. She greeted us warmly with a smile, telling us that she had three properties picked out for us, all in the same area of Trenton. We agreed to follow her in the Explorer. After a fifteen-minute drive, we ended up in a gated community, where properties were a fair distance from the road. We drove slowly through, making several turns and finally pulled up in front of an old Victorian house. (.com/albums/tt271/romavineta/Life%20With%20Batman%)

I didn't like the general appearance, although I wasn't really sure why. It just didn't seem to fit with us, in my opinion. Plus the neighbors in this section were a bit closer than I would prefer; if I didn't like it, I really doubted Ranger would. I sneaked a look at his face, and although his "blank face" was in place, I could tell he was displeased.

We followed Sandra into the house. I was shocked by the condition. It was neat, sure, but it was pretty run down and the furnishings were clearly old. The kitchen looked old, and the first bathroom appeared older than mine. There were plenty of rooms, but they were all small. Finally, we ended in the backyard. The yard was fairly large, but I had trouble envisioning a pool there. If we put in a pool, there wouldn't be much room to entertain. I looked at Ranger. He caught my gaze and minutely shook his head no.

"Well, what do you think?" Sandra asked.

"Well, the backyard is a little small for all the people that I would like to have over, and the rooms are a bit small. It's pretty outdated, and would need some upgrades. I think it would need a lot of work. I'm not sure we're looking for move-in ready, but we're definitely not wanting so much work," I told her. Ranger put his arm around my waist and I leaned into him.

"Not just that, but this is a security nightmare. I can't have the neighbors this close. I need room for several fences." Sandra opened her mouth, probably to point out that we were in a gated community, but Ranger shut her up with a dark glare. Sandra didn't say anything else, which was probably a good idea.

"Do you have any other more suitable properties?" I requested quietly. She nodded. "May we go to the next house, then?" She nodded hastily, so Ranger and I got back into the Explorer and headed to the next house.

When we pulled up, I found the appearance of this house much more attractive. It was large and white and seemed quite beautiful. (.com/albums/tt271/romavineta/Life%20With%20Batman% ).

"Any concerns yet?" I inquired. Ranger nodded at the tree that was very near the property.

"I'm worried that maybe that tree's roots would affect the foundation. It looks like there could be more in the back. The property is far off the road though," he said.

"It already appeals to me more than the other," I replied. He nodded and we went to meet Sandra. She was waiting for us rather nervously. I was wondering if Sandra had ever worked with Ranger before; I know that he had several real estate properties, but I don't think that Sandra was confident enough to work with Ranger.

"Is this one secure enough for you?" Sandra asked. Ranger looked over the property again and gave a curt nod. She let us go in ahead of her and we looked around slowly. This was in much better repair than the other house, but it just didn't click with me. I don't know why. We ended up in the backyard, where it was obvious that my hopes for a pool were not going to happen. There were trees all over the place. There was not enough room. We could have friends over though.

"If we have kids, I don't think that there would be an area for them to have a play set," I pointed out. Ranger looked over at me with a bit of a smile, and then kissed me quickly.

"So?" Sandra asked as she came up to us.

"I'm not sure. I like the house far better than the last, but we're a bit concerned about all the trees. They may create foundation problems; plus, we'd like a bit more leveled, clear ground in the back. This could go on a list of houses we like though," I offered. Sandra looked relieved that we didn't hate this house.

"You said that there were three. We'd like to see the third now," Ranger said. Sandra bobbed her head up and down frantically and scrambled off to her car. When we got into ours, I swatted his arm.

"You're scaring the hell out of her," I admonished him. Ranger gave me a bright smile. "I take it you've never worked with her before?" He shook his head slightly. "I suggest never using her again. My God, she's terrified. You need a real estate agent that doesn't quake in her boots when seeing you approach." Ranger laughed at me as we turned down a driveway that led up a rather large hill.

We came up to a paved courtyard with gorgeous flowers in the middle. The house itself was huge, constructed of a reddish/pink brick and with a green tiled roof. (.com/albums/tt271/romavineta/Life%20With%20Batman%20Begins/Mansion_). It was love at first sight. Ranger noticed my excitement, chuckling at my expression.

"Babe, you like it?" he asked redundantly. I giggled and nodded happily. "The security is good. Don't look too eager though," he said as we got out. I worked on my blank face as we got out. Sandra met us, looking apprehensive yet again.

"So, what do you think so far?"

"Good security; it looks nice. Stephanie and I are going to look around; we'll meet you in the backyard," Ranger announced, clearly dismissing Sandra. She just nodded and ambled in the direction Ranger had sent her.

We walked around the property slowly. Some of the rooms were rather small, and I thought that we might want to knock down some walls. For the most part, though, it looked ready to move into. The masters' suite was the best so far; there was a sitting room with a gigantic bedroom and bathroom, with a spa tub for two and a steam shower.

"I think I want this based upon this room alone," I told Ranger, reaching out for his hand. "Imagine what we could do in the bathtub. Or the shower," I murmured in his ear, almost moaning at the thought. He turned to face me quickly and I almost melted at the look on his features. "Do we have anything to do after this?" I asked seductively, running my hands up his chest and over his shoulders.

"Dinner at my parents' house." I swore aloud vehemently and Ranger laughed again.

"We have plans for as soon as we get back," I told him, kissing him quickly. He agreed, sealing the deal with a kiss of his own.

We finally finished the inside tour looking at the basement, which was also furnished. I really liked it all and was starting to get really excited about the house. All that it had to do to pass the test now was meet our requirements for the backyard.

We walked out and encountered the perfect backyard. Okay, so there wasn't a swimming pool, nor was there a hot tub… but it was huge, level, already fenced with brick, the trees were only on the perimeter and seemed to be far enough away from the actual house. I saw Ranger barely nod to me, but he made sure that Sandra didn't notice.

"So, what do you think?" she wondered anxiously. The poor women… I smiled at her.

"I liked it. Again, some of the rooms are fairly small, and I'm not sure how much work would be involved." Ranger nodded, before inserting his own commentary.

"We'll be discussing this tonight, but I'd appreciate it if you looked for a few more houses that met our criteria. We'll be in touch," Ranger instructed with a nod, placing his hand on my lower back and directing me toward the car. We left Sandra looking bemused behind us.

"Why were there no prices all day long?" I questioned as we were driving through Trenton. Ranger looked a bit abashed, I noticed.

"I asked her not to mention prices. I have the money and I have experience negotiating, so the price really shouldn't matter. I just want you to get what makes you happy. I have plenty of money, so don't worry about it." I was a little annoyed that Ranger didn't want me to know the price, but I admit, I would have been a little worried about the price.

"I really liked the last one," I told him. "I don't think that there is too much work that needs to be done. There are plenty of rooms, but I think it would be nicer if we made a few a little bigger by consolidating some of the rooms. And I think that in the backyard, it would be plenty big for a swimming pool, a hot tub, and still have enough room to invite people over. I really liked it."

"I can tell. I think I'll probably call her later and make an offer. Maybe in a few days. I don't want to seem too eager, and I want her to stew on it for a little while."

"You're horrid. That poor woman! She's absolutely terrified of you." By this time, we were pulling into the RangeMan garage. "What time is dinner at your parents'?" I inquired.

"It will take an hour to get to Newark, so we'll need to leave in an hour."

"That gives me less than an hour to shower and change. Let's hurry!" I shrieked, as we approached the elevator, heading up to the penthouse.


End file.
